(NOTE: A few hours after this column was published Thursday morning, the Carnival Triumph broke loose from its mooring and began drifting in the Mobile River.)

People once said that the Mobile Bay area appeared to be under some kind of special protection.

When I was growing up on the Gulf Coast, adults sometimes pointed out that no hurricane had hit the area since 1926. Large storms that had seemed on course to strike, such as Hurricane Camille in 1969, would change course at the last moment.

The talk of divine intervention faded after Hurricane Frederic slammed into the region in 1979. Since then we’ve had our share of large (Ivan) and small (Erin, Danny, Georges, etc.) hits.

Today, it might seem silly to imply that our area has any kind of particular providence watching over it.

Still, every now and then, when you see what happens to those who scorn the region, you almost have to wonder.

For five years, Boeing was locked in a battle with EADS, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., over a contract to build tankers for the Air Force.

At one point, it appeared that EADS had won the bid, which would have meant the aircraft would be built in Mobile. Supporters of the Mobile project claimed that Boeing used its political influence to snatch the contract, and hundreds of jobs, from the Gulf Coast.

A year later, Airbus, an EADS subsidiary, announced plans a year later to build civilian aircraft in Mobile. Boeing criticized the project, saying the work would take away American jobs, much to the surprise of Gulf Coast residents who could have sworn that was the Stars and Stripes they saw flying over their post office.

Since then, Boeing unveiled the 787 Dreamliner and then saw its newest aircraft grounded after battery fires in two planes.

News outlets around the world carried pictures of the grounded planes and ran stories about the potential for Boeing’s most advanced design bursting into flames in flight.

Meanwhile, Airbus has moved forward with plans to build a $600-million aircraft assembly plan on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

About the time that Boeing won the Air Force contract, Carnival announced that the cruise line would stop sailing out of Mobile.

The last ship sailed from the Alabama Cruise Terminal, which cost local taxpayers more than $20 million, in the fall of 2011.

A few weeks ago, the world watched as Carnival’s Triumph was towed to the same terminal.

The world had followed the story as the ship was disabled by an engine room fire. The fire knocked out much of the ship’s electrical, cooking and plumbing disabled.

The lack of toilet facilities after the breakdown led to nicknames such as the “Good Ship Lollipoop.” Not exactly the kind of publicity wanted by a large corporation eager to convince the public to pay to sail on its ships.

Now, a Carnival ship is again part of the Mobile skyline. The Triumph sits in drydock being repaired at BAE Systems on display to residents and tens of thousands of people driving by on nearby Interstate 10. The ship is expected to be out of service until at least June.

Since Carnival’s unplanned return to Mobile, at least three more of the line’s ships have been in the news with problems ranging from propulsion and steering malfunctions to an emergency generator breaking down.

We shouldn’t take pleasure over the misfortunes of others. I’m sorry for the delays and discomfort the ship and aircraft problems caused thousands of travelers.

The Mobile Bay area doesn’t enjoy any more divine favor than anywhere else; well, probably not. But when someone decides that their own interests outweigh those of a community or someone else, it might be good to remember not to tempt fate.

Guy Busby is a writer living in Silverhill. He can be reached at guylbusby@gmail.com and at guybusby.com and liked at https://www.facebook.com/guybusby.